Automated lists

ABSTRACT

A system including one or more processors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computing instructions configured to run on the one or more processors and perform: receiving transaction data comprising items previously purchased; comparing the first item to the second item; identifying the first item to be related to the second item; aggregating the first product type and the second product type into a first category bundle having a first theme defined by the first and second product types; assigning a first affinity score to the first and second items based on the transaction data; detecting the first item as being a first item of interest; and when the first affinity score of the first item exceeds a threshold, displaying, to the user while browsing the one or more websites, the first category bundle comprising the first and second items. Other embodiments are described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/472,897, filed Aug. 29, 2014, to-be-issued as U.S. Pat. No.10,810,626. U.S. application Ser. No. 14/472,897 and to-be-issued U.S.Pat. No. 10,810,626 are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

In efforts to increase customer convenience and boost sales, retailwebsites may attempt to “cluster” complementary products in groups basedon shared purchase frequency or some other connection between theproducts. Products that are commonly purchased together or within ashort period of one another may thus be clustered together. Productsthat have been clustered together may subsequently be expected to bepurchased together by other potential customers. For example, it may beobserved that when or shortly after consumers purchase an electronictablet, a high percentage of those consumers also purchase a case for anelectronic tablet. Such an observation may indicate that futurepurchasers of electronic tablets may likewise be interested in cases fortablets, so such products can be clustered together.

A typical strategy for implementing clustered products includesdisplaying “recommended” products to a user, where the recommendedproducts are clustered with a product that the user is viewing. Byoffering such clustered products together, retailers may moreeffectively target potential purchasers of those clustered products,thereby generating increased sales and elevating customer satisfaction.Some retailers have offered clustered products for purchase as a package(i.e., the retailer may offer a discount if all products in the clusterare purchased together). Such a sales strategy has also been known toincrease sales.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present disclosureare described with reference to the following figures, wherein likereference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various viewsunless otherwise specified.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating software components of a productcategory clustering system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of product categoryclustering system in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for adding a category to abundle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for determining affinitybetween demographic factors and an item according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for providing aproduct bundle for a customer according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding componentsthroughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans willappreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicityand clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example,the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggeratedrelative to other elements to help to improve understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure. Also, common but well-understoodelements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasibleembodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a lessobstructed view of these various embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure extends to methods, systems, and computerprograms for clustering complementary and/or related products toencourage customers to purchase the complementary and/or relatedproducts. In the following description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which is shown byway of illustration specific exemplary embodiments in which thedisclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice theconcepts disclosed herein, and it is to be understood that modificationsto the various disclosed embodiments may be made, and other embodimentsmay be utilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore,not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in oneembodiment,” “in an embodiment,” “one example,” or “an example” invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particularfeatures, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitablecombinations and/or sub-combinations in one or more embodiments orexamples. In addition, it should be appreciated that the figuresprovided herewith are for explanation purposes to persons ordinarilyskilled in the art and that the drawings are not necessarily drawn toscale.

Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may be embodied asan apparatus, method, or computer program product. Accordingly, thepresent disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware-comprisedembodiment, an entirely software-comprised embodiment (includingfirmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.), or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects that may all generally bereferred to herein as a “circuit,” “module,” or “system.” Furthermore,embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of a computerprogram product embodied in any tangible medium of expression havingcomputer-usable program code embodied in the medium.

Any combination of one or more computer-usable or computer-readablemedia may be utilized. For example, a computer-readable medium mayinclude one or more of a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM) device, a read-only memory (ROM) device, anerasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) device, aportable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storagedevice, and a magnetic storage device. Computer program code forcarrying out operations of the present disclosure may be written in anycombination of one or more programming languages. Such code may becompiled from source code to computer-readable assembly language ormachine code suitable for the device or computer on which the code willbe executed.

Embodiments may also be implemented in cloud computing environments. Inthis description and the following claims, “cloud computing” may bedefined as a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demandnetwork access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources(e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned via virtualization and released with minimalmanagement effort or service provider interaction and then scaledaccordingly. A cloud model can be composed of various characteristics(e.g., on-demand self-service, broad network access, resource pooling,rapid elasticity, and measured service), service models (e.g., Softwareas a Service (“SaaS”), Platform as a Service (“PaaS”), andInfrastructure as a Service (“IaaS”)), and deployment models (e.g.,private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, and hybrid cloud).

The flowchart and block diagrams in the attached figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations,and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustrations, may be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions. These computerprogram instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable mediumthat can direct a computer or other programmable data processingapparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructionsstored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction means which implement the function/act specifiedin the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are adapted to generate andpresent clusters of related items for users. In the context of thisdisclosure, and as will be further detailed below, items may be“related” as evinced by shopping and/or browsing patterns of users,through commonalities such as product categories, manufacturers, andservice providers, or by other means of grouping items. “Items” mayrepresent products or services. Such products may include, but are notlimited to: groceries, foods, office supplies, clothing wares, any otherfungible goods sold by a retailer, commercial products, industrialgoods, and the like. Services may include, but are not limited to:professional services, financial services, medical services, businessservices, educational services, travel, lodging services, repairservices, and other types of services. In general, a provider ofproducts and/or services may be referred to herein as a merchant orretailer. A merchant may typically operate and manage the systemsdisclosed and described herein or may enter into service agreements witha third party to operate and manage the systems.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are block diagrams illustrating exemplary embodiments of aproduct category clustering system 100 of the present disclosure.According to an embodiment, product category clustering system 100comprises a transaction database 110, category affinity module 120,product category list 130, customer database 140, item affinity module150, item affinity store 160, and affinity server 170. In variousembodiments, transaction database 110, category affinity module 120,product category list 130, customer database 140, item affinity module150, item affinity store 160, and affinity server 170 are implemented ascomputer-readable instructions and/or data stored in a memory to directa computer processor to carry out operations as described herein.

In embodiments, transaction database 110 comprises a record oftransactions made by a retailer to consumers. In various embodiments,transaction database 110 comprises a record of selected subsets of alltransactions carried out by a retailer. For example, in one embodiment,transaction database 110 comprises a record of all transactions carriedout on a retailer's website. In another embodiment, transaction database110 comprises a record of transactions carried out during a selectedtime frame. According to embodiments, transaction database 110 includesinformation about specific retail transactions, including but notlimited to: an identification of the product sold, a category of theproduct sold, identification of the customer involved in thetransaction, and other details of the purchase. New entries may be addedto transaction database 110 as additional transactions are completed bythe retailer and may thus comprise a relatively current record ofcompleted sales.

According to embodiments, category affinity module 120 is implemented inone or more computer processors and an operational memory that includesdata and/or computer-readable instructions to direct the computerprocessor to analyze transaction database 110 to identify categories ofproducts that exhibit an affinity to each other. As used herein, theterm “affinity” means an observed or calculated link or associationbetween two or more products or product categories as demonstrated bypurchases of the two or more products. In particular, an affinitybetween two or more products and/or product categories may be observedby detecting that such products are commonly purchased together orclosely following one another by a consumer. In embodiments, categoryaffinity module 120 is adapted to detect purchasing patterns across allcustomers to identify affinity between any set of products and/orcategories. As used herein, a “category” of products represents a set ofproducts that are grouped by product type. In embodiments, all productsunder a single category may be viewed as interchangeable in terms ofbasic function. For example, a product category may be called “babycribs” and include various brands and models of baby cribs. As anotherexample, a product category may be called “televisions” and includevarious brands and models of televisions.

According to embodiments, category affinity module 120 uses an affinityalgorithm to identify affinity between products and/or categories.Affinity may be found among product categories that consumers typicallypurchase together. For example, it may be observed that consumerstypically purchase a baby crib, a baby car seat, a stroller, and otherrelated items that one might purchase around the birth of a baby. Aftera sufficient number of customers have purchased items from thosecategories together, the categories “baby cribs,” “baby car seats,”“strollers,” and other identified product categories may be aggregatedinto a bundle. In an embodiment, such a bundle may be given adescriptive title, such as “newborn essentials.” As another example,consumers may typically purchase a pet toy, a pet food dish, pet food,and products from other related product categories prior to or uponacquiring a new pet. Accordingly, the categories “pet toys,” “pet fooddishes,” “pet food,” and other identified product categories may beaggregated into a bundle. In various embodiments, analysis oftransaction data may also reveal other trends that were not as readilyapparent but are still made manifest upon aggregating shopping patternsacross numerous customers. In one embodiment, the number of categoriesin a category bundle is limited to a selected quantity. For example, acategory bundle may be limited to four categories. Such categories maybe selected by sales volume, degree of affinity, or by other factors.For example, categories to be included in a bundle may comprise the fourbest-selling categories. In one embodiment, the categories in a bundleare selected dynamically for each customer based on specific customerdata, including past sales, demographic profiles, and the like.

In embodiments, category affinity module 120 transmits data relatingbundled categories to product category list 130. In one embodiment, suchdata includes the constituent product categories in the bundle and theindividual products that make up each category. Additional data mayinclude identification codes for the manufacturer of each product andidentifying information regarding the consumers who purchased eachproduct. Additional data may further include information regarding thetransaction itself, such as the location of the purchase, the timeand/or date of the transaction, and the like. According to embodiments,product category list 130 comprises a memory adapted to store a recordof bundles of products and/or product categories found to show affinityone with another. Continuing a previous example, product category list130 may store a bundle titled “newborn essentials” that contains variousproduct categories that were found by category affinity module 120 tohave affinity one with another.

In embodiments, customer database 140 comprises a data store ofinformation relating to customers that have made or may make purchasesat a retailer, or for whom the retailer has data for other reasons.According to embodiments, such information may include demographic dataregarding the customers, i.e., age, location of residence, income level,gender, education level, race, and any additional factors comprising thecustomer's demographic profile. Such customer demographic data may begathered from transaction database 110 or other data sources.

According to embodiments, item affinity module 150 is implemented in oneor more computer processors and an operational memory that includes dataand/or computer-readable instructions to direct the computer processorto analyze transaction database 110 and customer database 140 toidentify affinities between customer demographic profile factors andparticular items. For example, a particular item may comprise a specificbrand or model with a category. Customers having various demographicprofiles may show, in the aggregate, purchasing tendencies towardcertain brands or models within a selected product category. Embodimentsof item affinity module 150 can use affinity algorithms to identify suchtendencies. Relationships between an item and a single demographicfactor or combinations of demographic factors may be observed andrecorded by item affinity module 150.

In embodiments, item affinity module 150 may be selectively given anaffinity threshold, such that if any identified relationship between aparticular item and a demographic profile is found to have an affinityhigher than the threshold, item affinity module 150 identifies andrecords the relationship. In an embodiment, item affinity module 150 isadapted to transmit data regarding such relationships to item affinitystore 160. According to embodiments, item affinity store 160 is adaptedto receive and store data relating to observed affinities betweencustomer demographic factors and products. In an embodiment, itemaffinity store 160 can record affinity strengths between the demographicfactors and products.

According to embodiments, affinity server 170 is implemented in one ormore computer processors and an operational memory that includes dataand/or computer-readable instructions to receive an item category andreturn one or more item categories that are bundled with the receiveditem category. In one embodiment, a user interface module detects that acustomer may be interested in a product that falls under an itemcategory that has been bundled with one or more related item categories.In such a case, the user interface module queries affinity server 170with the item category and affinity server 170 returns other associateditem categories in one or more bundles. Such bundled categories may thenbe presented to the customer for purchase. In one embodiment, thecustomer may be offered a discount for purchasing at least one item fromeach of the categories in the presented bundle.

According to some embodiments, affinity server 170 is adapted to receivean item and/or an item category from a user interface module and returnone or more items that fall under related bundled categories. Such itemsmay be selected by analyzing demographic profiles of the particularcustomer and determining which item(s) within each bundled category hasthe closest relationship to the item and/or item category that was inputfrom the user interface module. In this manner, the customer may bepresented with an item from each category in a bundle. In otherembodiments, items may be selected by analyzing a particular customer'stransaction history and determining which particular items, within thebundled categories, the customer may be more likely to purchase. Such ananalysis may include comparing affinities between transaction historiesof other customers and the customer under analysis. In an embodiment,the customer may be offered a discount for purchasing every suchpresented item in the bundle.

In operation, product category clustering system 100 can detectrelationships between categories of products and combine relatedcategories into bundles. Products that fall into such related categoriesand that have detected relationships with selected customer demographicprofiles may be offered to customers in a bundle. Referring now to FIG.3, embodiments of the present disclosure comprise a method 300 foradding a category to a bundle. At operation 310, category affinitymodule 120 receives transaction data from transaction database 110.Received data may include transaction dates, items purchased, customeridentifications, and the like. At operation 320, category affinitymodule 120 queries product database 110 to determine one or morecategories for each item. At operation 330, category affinity module 120analyzes the received data to determine an affinity score betweenvarious categories of items. In embodiments, the affinity score may behigher for item categories that were more often purchased together orclose in time to each other. At operation 340, categories having anaffinity score higher than a selected threshold are determined to sharea category bundle. At operation 350, category bundles, including a listof constituent categories in each bundle, are recorded at productcategory list 130.

Referring now to FIG. 4, embodiments of the present disclosure comprisea method 400 for determining the affinity between a demographic profilefactor and an item. At operation 410, item affinity module 150 receivestransaction data from transaction database 110. Received data mayinclude transaction dates, items purchased, and customer identificationdata. At operation 420, item affinity module 150 queries customerdatabase 140 for demographic profile factors for each customer. Atoperation 430, item affinity module 150 analyzes the received data bydetermining an affinity score between various purchased items andcustomer demographic profile factors and various combinations of each.In embodiments, the affinity score may be higher for items that weremore often purchased by customers having particular demographic profilefactors. At operation 440, affinity scores for various demographicprofile factors and related items are recorded at item affinity store160.

Referring now to FIG. 5, embodiments of the present disclosure comprisea method 500 for providing a product bundle for a customer. At operation510, affinity server 170 receives data regarding one or more items inwhich a customer may be interested. Such interest may be demonstrated bythe customer viewing an item description on a retailer's website.Received data may include one or more categories into which the items ofinterest fall. At operation 520, affinity server 170 queries customerdatabase customer database 140 regarding the customer and receivesdemographic profile factors describing the customer. At operation 530,affinity server 170 queries product category list 130 for one or morebundles of categories relating to the item(s) of interest and receivessaid category bundles. At operation 540, affinity server 170 queriesitem affinity store 160 and receives affinity scores for items in saidcategory bundles with respect to the customer demographic profilefactors. At operation 550, affinity server 170 assembles a list ofproducts that are in the bundled categories and that have the highestaffinity to the customer demographic profile factors. In an embodiment,the list of products comprises one product from each bundled category.In another embodiment, multiple products within each bundled categoryare included.

In one embodiment, the customer is offered the opportunity to purchasethe bundle of items at a discount. In one embodiment, the customer isoffered an incentive to purchase the bundle of items by offering, forexample, free shipping for the purchased bundle. In one embodiment, thecustomer may select from multiple products within each bundled categoryand may be offered a discount by purchasing at least one item from eachcategory.

A number of embodiments can include a system including one or moreprocessors and one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediastoring computing instructions configured to run on the one or moreprocessors and perform certain acts. The acts can include receivingtransaction data comprising items previously purchased. The itemspreviously purchased can include a first item having a first producttype within a product category and a second item having a second producttype within the product category. The acts also can include comparingthe first item to the second item. The acts additionally can includeidentifying the first item to be related to the second item. The actsfurther can include aggregating the first product type and the secondproduct type into a first category bundle having a first theme definedby the first and second product types. The acts also can includeassigning a first affinity score to the first and second items based onthe transaction data. The first affinity score can increase by a numberof times the first and second items are purchased together. The actsfurther can include detecting the first item as being a first item ofinterest during one or more browsing sessions of a user on one or morewebsites of a retailer. When the first affinity score of the first itemexceeds a threshold, the acts additionally can include displaying, tothe user while browsing the one or more websites, the first categorybundle comprising the first and second items.

Various embodiments can include a method being implemented via executionof computing instructions configured to run on one or more processorsand stored at one or more non-transitory computer-readable media. Themethod can include receiving transaction data comprising itemspreviously purchased. The items previously purchased can include a firstitem having a first product type within a product category and a seconditem having a second product type within the product category. Themethod also can include comparing the first item to the second item. Themethod additionally can include identifying the first item to be relatedto the second item. The method further can include aggregating the firstproduct type and the second product type into a first category bundlehaving a first theme defined by the first and second product types. Themethod additionally can include assigning a first affinity score to thefirst and second items based on the transaction data. The first affinityscore can increase by a number of times the first and second items arepurchased together. The method also can include detecting the first itemas being a first item of interest during one or more browsing sessionsof a user on one or more websites of a retailer. When the first affinityscore of the first item exceeds a threshold, the method further caninclude displaying, to the user while browsing the one or more websites,the first category bundle comprising the first and second items.

Although the present disclosure is described in terms of certainpreferred embodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art, given the benefit of this disclosure,including embodiments that do not provide all of the benefits andfeatures set forth herein, which are also within the scope of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized, without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: one or more processors; andone or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computinginstructions configured to run on the one or more processors andperform: receiving transaction data comprising items previouslypurchased, wherein the items comprise a first item having a firstproduct type within a product category and a second item having a secondproduct type within the product category; comparing the first item tothe second item; identifying the first item to be related to the seconditem; aggregating the first product type and the second product typeinto a first category bundle having a first theme defined by the firstand second product types; assigning a first affinity score to the firstand second items based on the transaction data, wherein the firstaffinity score increases by a number of times the first and second itemsare purchased together; detecting the first item as being a first itemof interest during one or more browsing sessions of a user on one ormore websites of a retailer; and when the first affinity score of thefirst item exceeds a threshold, displaying, to the user while browsingthe one or more websites, the first category bundle comprising the firstand second items.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computinginstructions are further configured to run on the one or more processorsand perform: detecting one or more shopping patterns of customers fromthe one or more websites of the retailer, wherein a set of items of theitems are (i) commonly purchased together or (ii) commonly found withinthe one or more shopping patterns of the customers, wherein the one ormore shopping patterns comprise a purchasing pattern or a browsingpattern, and wherein the one or more shopping patterns are based on (i)the product category, (ii) a manufacturer, or (iii) a brand of theitems; detecting one or more relationships between two or more of theitems within the one or more shopping patterns of the customers;determine whether the first item of the items is related to the seconditem of the items based on a quantity of the customers that purchasedthe first item and the second item together; querying, (i) a customerdatabase for customer demographic profile factors within customerdemographic profiles for the customers and (ii) a transaction databasefor the transaction data; and determining affinities between thecustomer demographic profile factors for the customers and thetransaction data for respective ones of the items purchased together bythe customers.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computinginstructions are further configured to run on the one or more processorsand perform: initiating, at a user interface system, (a) a query sent toan affinity server to match the first item of interest with one or moreitems of the items within the first category bundle, and (b) a furtherquery sent to the affinity server to match the user with customerdemographic profiles for customers with an affinity for the first itemof interest; determining whether to display the first category bundlecomprising the first item of interest to the user based on (a) when thefirst item of interest matches a particular item of the items within theproduct category and (b) when the user fits the customer demographicprofiles for the customers with an affinity for the items within theproduct category associated with the first category bundle; and offeringa discount for purchasing at least one respective item from the productcategory in the first category bundle displayed on the user interfacesystem.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein displaying, to the user whilebrowsing the one or more websites, the first category bundle furthercomprises: transmitting a second category bundle, to the user, regardinga second item of interest of the items.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the computing instructions are further configured to run on theone or more processors and perform: providing a bundle category limit,wherein the bundle category limit comprises a maximum quantity of one ormore product categories; and when a quantity of the one or more productcategories in the first category bundle exceeds the bundle categorylimit, removing a selected one of the one or more product categoriesfrom the first category bundle.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein:removing the selected one of the one or more product categories from thefirst category bundle comprises: determining a sales volume of eachrespective one of the items within the selected one of the one or moreproduct categories; and removing a selected one of the items within theselected one of the one or more product categories having a lowest salesvolume within the first category bundle.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the computing instructions are further configured to run on theone or more processors and perform: identifying an affinity of at leastone item from each respective product category of one or more productcategories in the first category bundle by: receiving a customerdemographic profile of customer demographic profiles for customers;receiving multiple affinity scores reflecting degrees of affinitybetween multiple ones of the items and the customer demographic profilesfor the customers, wherein the multiple ones of the items are describedby at least one of the one or more product categories; and for eachrespective one of the one or more product categories, returning aselected one item from the items based on a respective affinity score ofthe multiple affinity scores for the selected one item.
 8. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the first category bundle further comprises: providingthe first affinity score for one or more product categories from the oneor more items; comparing the first affinity score for the one or moreproduct categories; and when the first affinity score exceeds anaffinity threshold, adding the one or more product categories to thefirst category bundle.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computinginstructions are further configured to run on the one or more processorsand perform: determining, using the transaction data from salestransactions, the first affinity score for the first item, wherein thefirst item is added to the product category when the first affinityscore for the first item exceeds a pre-set threshold.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the computing instructions are further configured torun on the one or more processors and perform: determining affinitiesbetween (a) customer demographic profile factors and (b) the transactiondata for respective ones of the items purchased together by customers;and determining whether the respective ones of the items are of aparticular brand or a particular model within a respective productcategory.
 11. A method being implemented via execution of computinginstructions configured to run on one or more processors and stored atone or more non-transitory computer-readable media, the methodcomprising: receiving transaction data comprising items previouslypurchased, wherein the items comprise a first item having a firstproduct type within a product category and a second item having a secondproduct type within the product category; comparing the first item tothe second item; identifying the first item to be related to the seconditem; aggregating the first product type and the second product typeinto a first category bundle having a first theme defined by the firstand second product types; assigning a first affinity score to the firstand second items based on the transaction data, wherein the firstaffinity score increases by a number of times the first and second itemsare purchased together; detecting the first item as being a first itemof interest during one or more browsing sessions of a user on one ormore web sites of a retailer; and when the first affinity score of thefirst item exceeds a threshold, displaying, to the user while browsingthe one or more websites, the first category bundle comprising the firstand second items.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:detecting one or more shopping patterns of customers from the one ormore web sites of the retailer, wherein a set of items of the items are(i) commonly purchased together or (ii) commonly found within the one ormore shopping patterns of the customers, wherein the one or moreshopping patterns comprise a purchasing pattern or a browsing pattern,and wherein the one or more shopping patterns are based on (i) theproduct category, (ii) a manufacturer, or (iii) a brand of the items;detecting one or more relationships between two or more of the itemswithin the one or more shopping patterns of the customers; determinewhether the first item of the items is related to the second item of theitems based on a quantity of the customers that purchased the first itemand the second item together; querying, (i) a customer database forcustomer demographic profile factors within customer demographicprofiles for the customers and (ii) a transaction database for thetransaction data; and determining affinities between the customerdemographic profile factors for the customers and the transaction datafor respective ones of the items purchased together by the customers.13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: initiating, at a userinterface system, (a) a query sent to an affinity server to match thefirst item of interest with one or more items of the items within thefirst category bundle, and (b) a further query sent to the affinityserver to match the user with customer demographic profiles forcustomers with an affinity for the first item of interest; determiningwhether to display the first category bundle comprising the first itemof interest to the user based on (a) when the first item of interestmatches a particular item of the items within the product category and(b) when the user fits the customer demographic profiles for thecustomers with an affinity for the items within the product categoryassociated with the first category bundle; and offering a discount forpurchasing at least one respective item from the product category in thefirst category bundle displayed on the user interface system.
 14. Themethod of claim 11, wherein displaying, to the user while browsing theone or more websites, the first category bundle further comprises:transmitting a second category bundle, to the user, regarding a seconditem of interest of the items.
 15. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising: providing a bundle category limit, wherein the bundlecategory limit comprises a maximum quantity of one or more productcategories; and when a quantity of the one or more product categories inthe first category bundle exceeds the bundle category limit, removing aselected one of the one or more product categories from the firstcategory bundle.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein: removing theselected one of the one or more product categories from the firstcategory bundle comprises: determining a sales volume of each respectiveone of the items within the selected one of the one or more productcategories; and removing a selected one of the items within the selectedone of the one or more product categories having a lowest sales volumewithin the first category bundle.
 17. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: identifying an affinity of at least one item from eachrespective product category of one or more product categories in thefirst category bundle by: receiving a customer demographic profile ofcustomer demographic profiles for customers; receiving multiple affinityscores reflecting degrees of affinity between multiple ones of the itemsand the customer demographic profiles for the customers, wherein themultiple ones of the items are described by at least one of the one ormore product categories; and for each respective one of the one or moreproduct categories, returning a selected one item from the items basedon a respective affinity score of the multiple affinity scores for theselected one item.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first categorybundle further comprises: providing the first affinity score for one ormore product categories from the one or more items; comparing the firstaffinity score for the one or more product categories; and when thefirst affinity score exceeds an affinity threshold, adding the one ormore product categories to the first category bundle.
 19. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining, using the transaction datafrom sales transactions, the first affinity score for the first item,wherein the first item is added to the product category when the firstaffinity score for the first item exceeds a pre-set threshold.
 20. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: determining affinities between(a) customer demographic profile factors and (b) the transaction datafor respective ones of the items purchased together by customers; anddetermining whether the respective ones of the items are of a particularbrand or a particular model within a respective product category.